Stars Salute Buddy Holly
Had he lived, Buddy Holly would have turned 75 this week. To commemorate his birthday on September 7, there was a flurry of activity that began months ago in honor of the legendary rock icon whose life was cut tragically short in a plane crash at age 22 along with Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson. Among the events marking the date were the release of two all-star tribute albums, an invitation-only V.I.P. concert and birthday party, and the long-awaited unveiling of Holly's much-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group got a jump on things back in June with the release of Rave On Buddy Holly. The 19-track collection of the singer's classics features performances by a diverse group of musicians including Lou Reed, Cee Lo Green, Kid Rock, Modest Mouse and Graham Nash. Artists involved in the project were given free rein to interpret Holly's biggest hits any way they chose, which inspired some pretty unexpected results.
The Black Keys turn in an uncharacteristically understated performance of "Dearest," while Paul McCartney, a longtime champion of Holly's work (he produced and hosted the tribute film The Real Buddy Holly Story and owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue) goes to the opposite extreme, carrying on like a frenetic teenager on "It's So Easy." My Morning Jacket brings out the gee-whiz in "True Love Ways," while Florence + The Machine treat "Not Fade Away" to a New Orleans vibe. Indie pop duo She & Him remain faithful to Holly's approach for their sweetly naive take on "Oh Boy," and Karen Elson, along with husband Jack White, delivers a snazzy rendition of "Crying, Waiting, Hoping." Relatively absent from the music scene since the release of her last album in 2005, Fiona Apple lightens up considerably singing with Jon Brion on "Everyday," the only duet on the album, while Patti Smith, the Godmother of Punk herself, delivers a plaintive, impassioned version of "Words of Love," putting an interesting spin on the song by slowing it down and remaking it as a ballad.
On September 6, the eve of Holly's birthday, Verve Forecast and Songmasters released a second tribute album called Listen to Me: Buddy Holly. Produced by Grammy Award-winner Peter Asher, this extraordinary musical collaboration features artists whose own noteworthy careers span three generations of post-Buddy rock ‘n’ roll. Like Rave On before it, each artist was encouraged to choose their favorite Buddy Holly song and mark it with their own unique stamp.
For their part alt rockers Cobra Starship came up with a synth-heavy arrangement of "Peggy Sue," while Natalie Merchant delivers a stark piano and violin-based "Learning the Game." Other adaptions include Chris Isaak's Orbinson-inflected take on "Crying, Waiting, Hoping," a playfully energetic Ringo Starr doing "Think It Over," and the incomparable version of “That’ll Be the Day” originally recorded by Linda Ronstadt in 1976 and produced by Asher. Never bested, this track remains, he says, the most outstanding version available of that Holly classic. Some of the other artists appearing on Listen to Me include Stevie Nicks, Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, The Fray, Zooey Deschanel, ex-Fall Out Boy Patrick Stump, Train vocalist Pat Monahan, and the one and only Eric Idle of Monty Python fame.
“Buddy showed us how brilliant and unforgettable songs could be written using the simplest of chords,” says Asher, one-half of the UK duo Peter and Gordon who had a massive hit with Holly's 'True Love Ways' in 1965. “He taught us the value of a lyric which came from the heart and the importance of making records the way you heard them in your head. His music has never ceased to play a major role in my life and work.”
The Holly love fest continued into the following day—Buddy’s birthday, which was officially declared "Buddy Holly Day" by the City of Los Angeles—when the singer-songwriter was posthumously awarded a star on the Walk of Fame. The event featured a rare appearance by Holly's widow, Maria Elena, who spoke on her husband's behalf, along with many others including Phil Everly, Peter Asher, and Gary Busey, who played the singer in the 1978 biographical film The Buddy Holly Story. Holly’s star is said to be situated in front of the historic Capitol Records Tower, close to The Beatles' star and is, in fact, on the block next to one reserved for Paul McCartney.
Later on that evening the festivities moved to The Music Box in Hollywood where Asher, friends and family of the singer, and a host of performers celebrated Holly's birthday and the release of Listen to Me with a live tribute concert that included special guest performances by Paul Anka, Michelle Branch, Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Raul Malo, Graham Nash, Stevie Nicks, Boz Scaggs, and Patrick Stump. The event was filmed for PBS' December pledge drive and will eventually be released on DVD/CD. Three music industry charities—The GRAMMY Foundation, The Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Artistshouse Music—will benefit from the Listen to Me CD and concert celebration.
But that's not all. In October comes the kick-off of the Listen to Me “True. Great. Original. National Talent Competition,” a search for the next generation of original musical artists. Conducted in collaboration with the web and mobile-based music community OurStage, the contest will see participants competing in three performance categories reflecting Holly’s lasting musical legacy. “Buddy did everything he could to make sure that talented young musicians and songwriters got a real chance,” explains his wife. “He even started his own label—he called it ‘Prism’—to make this possible. He would be especially thrilled, as I am, that so many outstanding artists are part of this effort to honor his personal commitment to recognize and help great young musical talent.”
Buddy Holly is, of course, one of rock's true pioneers. He is long considered to be the first singer/songwriter/ performer in an era when most artists played songs penned by leading songwriters of the day. Holly and his band arranged and wrote all of their own songs and recorded without studio musicians. As the leader of his own band, Buddy Holly and The Crickets, he created the blueprint for one of rock’s ultimate archetypes, the singing, guitar-playing frontman of a two-guitars-bass-and-drums outfit. Buddy was also a forward-thinking businessman who had started his own artist-run independent label at the time of his tragic death, anticipating by a half-century the need for artists to both control their creative expression and commercial value of their work.
Holly's lasting influence on music is all the more remarkable when you stop to consider that it was achieved in under two years—from the time he and The Crickets hit the charts in May 1957 with their first release, "That'll Be the Day," to that fateful night in February 1959 when the small plane carrying the singer crashed into a frozen Iowa cornfield, a day often referred to as "The Day the Music Died" as immortalized in the Don McLean song "American Pie." In his brief career, Holly topped the charts with more than 27 Top 40 hits worldwide, some of which reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard charts and remained there long after his death.
As one of the pillars of rock 'n' roll—along with Bill Haley, Elvis, and Chuck Berry—Buddy Holly has inspired some of music's greatest talents, among them Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles, who chose their name as an homage to Holly's Crickets. Holly was a part of the first batch of musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was listed among Rolling Stone’s “Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time.” From rock to country to R&B, his songs have charted consistently for more than 50 years. Why, even the glasses he wore out of necessity encouraged other musicians like Lennon, Elton John and Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, who bears a striking resemblance to the singer, to follow suit and wear their specs proudly onstage.
Buddy Holly remains a profound influence on music and its future. He has an enduring pull on the hearts of his peers and fans alike. Just ask James and Patti Simpson of Shallowater, Texas, who marked the singer's birthday by carving an outline of Holly into a 12-acre cornfield.
